Both the Republican leaders of the Utah Legislative Senate and House were forced to resign this year. The Senate leader because of a DUI. The Representative leader because of a sexual relationship with a minor many years ago, which he paid $150,000 campaign money to buy her silence. In connection with the latter scandal, the church-owned Deseret News was aware of the sexual misconduct eight years ago, but kept silent until other news of the matter became public.
The problem with any political machine owning a state is the same everywhere. It really does not matter if that machine controls the city of Chicago or the State of Utah, the result is the same. People do “favors” for the insiders, and the public suffers as a result.
Utah’s reputation as “the reddest of red states” is well deserved. The competition to fill these seats for the two involved in the scandals is internal to the Republican Party. The result of doing so will not be unlike what has long been the case here in Utah, where only one side controls everything.
Both of these men were Latter-day Saints. They are victims of the corrupt political domination every bit as much as the public has been. Without a healthy opposition party, there is no real check upon misbehavior and excesses.
I’ve always thought that opposing views and people speaking their mind is healthy. Without some criticism of a person’s plans and ideas you simply get a chorus of “yes men” chanting how inspired or worthy or good all ideas are, no matter how flawed or foolish. Utah’s two fallen leaders are “family men,” one of whom was known as a champion of “family values.” It’s almost as if he had shopped with focus groups to know what words to use to get elected, without any regard to what was within his heart.
Now is the great day of opinion polling and focus group directed marketing, in which the substance of any group of political leaders is always hidden behind the carefully crafted message intended to market image. Indeed, image is everything in this day of deceit.
So, choose your leaders carefully. They will all sound the same. It will not be the vocabulary which will distinguish the evil and corrupt from the true and good. It will only be what lies within them that will differ.
I’ll respectfully disagree with your statement: “It will not be the vocabulary which will distinguish the evil and corrupt from the true and good.”
If you listened to the Republican presidential debates during 2008 it was very clear who was “polished” for the media and who was speaking from their own personal heart and experience in defense of the Constitution.
I personally think that it is getting easier, not harder, to distinguish good from evil (where I define this as those in support of constitutional principals and those willing to usurp freedoms).
If you know right from wrong (as defined in scripture and beginning with the War in Heaven) it is very clear to me who we should be supporting politically and who is dangerous. What we need are more people waking up to this realization. Unfortunately the majority think that the smooth words of leaders who have evil intents sound good…
I don’t trust either political party. But I have noticed that neither one says they intend to destroy the family. Neither one says they are going to oppress and imprison us. Neither one says they will destroy the Constitution. Instead they claim that their social programs will support the family, make life more fair, and give us protection against things which harm or threaten us. Whether it is a war on poverty or war on extremists it doesn’t matter. “Privacy” and “freedom of choice” sound good, actually. I think I want privacy and I want freedom to choose. But I don’t want 30 million unborn killed. No one says they are in favor of killing the unborn. Those words will offend. So it is “privacy” and it is “freedom of choice” and other euphemisms. It isn’t a one-way street, however. “Protection” and “national strength” are also good ideas. But when it comes to reading every email sent or received by private American citizens, I don’t think anyone is in favor of that.
Both sides triangulate into growing governmental control using the buzz words of saving something good, or defeating something bad. The actions, however, are not revealed until it is already a new fence or obstruction limiting our freedom even as it is celebrated as a “protection” for us.
I’m not affiliated with either political party. My wife, on the other hand, has been a Republican state delegate. But, then again, I went to BYU and she went to Utah. So there’s a certain underlying tolerance we exact from each other.
I don’t support either political party either. I registered republican after 25 years of “independence” in order to vote for Ron Paul in the primaries…that is as close to a political affiliation as I have come in the past few decades.
Again, I disagree with you. While neither party says they are out to destroy the family or kill babies you can tell exactly what they ARE saying and very, very few talk about personal freedom (unless it is to commit an abortion).
The talk to day is of security over freedom from all but a very few. Everyone is trying to make us safe–safe from drugs, safe from terrorists, safe from criminals, safe from economic fluctuations. All I hear when they (both Rs and Ds) talk like this is “…my plan will save you all…everyone will return to the father…who cares if you are forced to do good? Isn’t it right to do good?”
Where have we heard that before?
When I was growing up my mother taught me that people in Russia were OK with their communist leaders because they valued security over freedom. But here we valued freedom over security so while we had more risk; we had more freedom.
My how that has changed…
Gentileman…thanks for your thoughts and perspective. I’m inclined to believe exactly what Denver wrote (at least the last two paragraphs).
The great issue with our political system (as I see it), is that everything is indeed crafted to sound appealing, look appealing and feel appealing. The technology and information they use behind the scenes is immense, and they all use it to carefully craft a message meant to sway the masses. Whether it’s to believe in “change,” or “capitalism,” or “small government,” every major party, every major movement is all too easily co-opted to match what the ruling elite/parties want. Then, as frosting on this ever growing cake, we have media pundits of all shapes and sizes who are paid handsomely to parrot the same party lines. After all, you can “buy anything in this world with money,” including the peoples opinions.
There are a few who stand out (Ron Paul most notably), but the vast majority all say the same things, champion the same virtues, convince the same people to follow their cause, while behind the scenes they seek for “power and gain.”
In truth (at least to me), it’s all a game of power and gain. The number of politicians who become rich while in office is staggering, which money they then use to remain in power and carefully craft the legislation to respond to their special interest groups.
That system is more entrenched then we care to recognize and they (the two party system) are mere wings of the same bird of flight, taking us in the exact same direction for the same purposes.
I find myself in a quandary when elections come around. Do I choose a candidate whose party represents an agenda closely aligned with Nationalistic socialism or a candidate whose party more closely aligns with communistic socialism.
Sometimes I want to register a protest and write in some worthy candidate like Mickey Mouse. Usually I try to figure out who has the fix been put in for and vote the other, just trying to slow down our descent.
Voting for the lesser of two evils is still voting for evil.
Here’s an interesting take on the matter, which I appreciated: http://www.wordofhisgrace.org/evilisevil.pdf
Tom: I think it funny that you say you agree with Denver on this then go on to explain by stating almost exactly what I did above…
Gentileman…
We’re not so different, are we? Neither are Denver’s words on the subject. Once you understand, or at least are aware of, the grand scheme happening “behind the curtains,” it’s not that difficult to see what’s going on and detach yourself from the wickedness that rules politics.
That being said, for those who are still entrenched in the false two party paradigm, it’s another story entirely. Those who adhere to this false two party system will continue to stumble and trip because they merely rely on the words the politicians (or those highly paid political priests who sell the system) speak.
As for me, absent a complete cleansing of our political system, either through the public awakening and voting out everyone, or a cleansing of a different sort, I don’t put much stock in anything they say, anything they do or anything they pass…because it’s more of the same. The same thing that’s been happening since Lincoln destroyed states rights…the same thing that’s been happening since the bankers took over the system (and the money supply)…
It’s like Groundhog’s Day all over again. :)